Device for producing thread windings



- July 7, 1970 E. H. STRAUSS 3,519,025

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING THREAD WINDINGS Filed July 8, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 u y 7, 0 E. H. STRAUSS 7 9 2 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING THREAD WINDINGS Filed July 8, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm mm in ,3 g 3 3% mm m Y q I l 1; 5,231 M 1 1.: 3 2

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DEVICE FOR PRODUCING THREAD WINDINGS Filed July a, 1969 5 She s-Sheet s United States Patent Oflice 3,519,025 Patented July 7,, 1970 3,519,025 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING THREAD WINDINGS Edgar H. Strauss, Ruti, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Ruti Machinery Works Ltd., formerly Caspar Honegger, a corporation of Switzerland Filed July 8, 1968, Ser. No. 743,177 Claims priority, application Switzerland, July 11, 1967, 9,904/67 Int. Cl. D03d 47/26 US. Cl. 139-12 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for producing thread windings of predetermined length on a loom which comprises a rotatably mounted winding element having a winding portion and a turn-forming portion, rotor means for continuously winding turns of a thread around the turn-forming portion, means for successively displacing a predetermined number of turns of the thread along the winding portion and at least one stationary retaining means for preventing rotation of the winding element due to the torque imparted during winding of the thread. The turn-forming portion of the winding element has a cross-sectional shape that allows the turns of the thread Wound on the turn-forming portion to slip to the winding portion and the retaining means contacts the winding element at a bearing point located on the turn-forming portion.

This invention relates to a device or an arrangement for producing thread windings of predetermined length and more particularly to a device having means for continuously winding a thread around a winding element that is rotatably mounted on the means and that comprises a winding portion and a turn-forming portion so arranged that during the winding process, turns of the thread slip from the turning-forming portion to the winding portion along which a thread winding can be displaced, and at least one stationary retaining means for preventing the winding element from rotating.

A method and apparatus are known (and disclosed in US. Pat. 3,263,705) for the filling of shuttles with threads taken from a positionally-fixed bobbin, wherein thread windings are formed on a blade which serves as a winding element. The shuttles have unconnected side walls along part of their periphery and contain in their interiors linings which retain the threads. For filling a shuttle, its unconnected peripheral portion is pushed over a winding positioned on the blade and the shuttle is then withdrawn from the blade in the longitudinal direction, the winding remaining in the interior of the shuttle.

For the purpose of winding the thread around the blade, an eye guiding the thread and carried by a spinning flyer rotates about the blade. The blade is rotatably mounted in the flyer and is prevented from rotating independently by two channel-shaped jaws. For producing the windings to be passed over to the shuttles, the turns are pushed in batches along the blade into a delivery position. These turns of the winding must thereby slide along the two channel-shaped jaws. This arrangement has the disadvantage that the individual turns move out of their neatly arranged position when sliding along the two jaws; consequently, this arrangement often Works out disadvantageously in the subsequent weaving process. Furthermore, the channel-shaped jaws require a certain amount of space so that the blade must be lengthened to an extent corresponding to this space. However, the greater length has the disadvantage that the means for mounting the blade on the flyer must be made stronger.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages.

Thus this invention contemplates a device which is further characterized in that the point at. which the retaining means bears on the winding element. is located in the turn forming portion of the winding element.

The invention will now be described in greater detail by reference to certain embodiments thereof and to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of the device of the invention in its position on a wave-type loom;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the device of the invention showing further details of its construction as seen from the front of the loom;

FIG. 3 is an end view partially in section taken from the left on the dot-dash line III--III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a further embodiment of the invention as seen from the left side; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of still another embodiment of the invention as seen from the left side.

In all the figures, like reference numerals designate like parts. The multi-phase weaving machine or wave-type loom shown in perspective in FIG. 1 incorporates a warp beam 11. The warp threads 12 run from the beam over the guide rails 13 and 14 and over a warp monitor 15 and around a shed-equalizing roller 16. By means of a shaft arrangement (not illustrated) comprising approximately horizontal shafts, the warp threads 12 are formed into'changing sheds directly beyond the shed-equalizing roller 16, an open shed being present at the position of each pick-insertion element or shuttle 18 and a shedchange taking place between each two adjacent shuttles 18. This situation is indicated in the drawing by appropriate hatching. For the purpose of weaving, a plurality of shuttles 18 is provided and these move simultaneously through the separate sheds 17 formed during the weaving operation one after the other. The shuttles 18 are moved forwards by the reed lamellae 19 acting as drive elements. These elements also serve to beat up the inserted weft threads against the beat-up 20. The shuttles 18 are guided in each shed 17 by the warp threads 12. The lamellae 19 are built into the arrangement 28 which is firmly secured to the frame 29 of the loom. Two worm shafts, not shown in FIG. 1, are provided for producing the movements of the reed lamellae 19. Upon rotation of the worm shafts, the reed lamellae 19 swing about an axis in such manner that each lamellae 19 in its movement cycle lags a little relatively to the lamella positioned in front of it. The lamellae 19, as a whole, thereby provide a wave movement which is propagated from right to left in FIG. 1, and which carries the shuttles 18 along through the sheds. The sheds 17 also move at the same speed from right to left. The woven material 23 is rolled on to the cloth beam 26 by the pull-in roller 24 around the pressure roller 25. The reference numeral 27 designates. a temple.

On the righthand side of the loom there is provided a discharge box 30 which receives empty shuttles returning from the left-hand side of the loom and from which the empty shuttles 18 are delivered in a continuous sequence. Along side the discharge box 30 is located a bladeshaped winding element (shown in FIG. 2) on which are produced thread windings of predetermined length. The shuttles are delivered by the discharge box to the winding element which supplies the thread windings to the shuttles. The thread 32 for forming these windings is taken from the bobbin 22 and wound onto the winding element by the rotor 34, which thus comprises a means for winding thread onto the Winding element.

The construction of the device or arrangement for producing thread windings of predetermined length can be seen in detail from FIGS. 2 and 3. Located in the discharge box 30 is a shuttle 18 standing ready to take over the winding 35 (which constitutes a thread portion of predetermined length). For the sake of clearness, the discharge box has been removed and is therefore shown only in broken lines. The winding is located on the winding element 31 in its delivery position, i.e., in the position ready for being passed over to the shuttle 18. The blade-shaped Winding element 31 is supported by the ballbearing 36 and is held against rotation by a retaining means in the form of a retaining rod 37. The ball-bearing 36 is carried by the rotatable shaft 38 to which the rotor 34 is firmly connected. The rotor 34 carries an eye 39 through which the thread 32 is drawn. The thread runs from the bobbin 22 shown in FIG. 1 through a passage 40 in the shaft 38 and through the eye 39 to the winding element 31 on which it is wound.

The winding element 31 has an elongated, flat bladeshaped body and is comprised of two different parts or portions. One part is the turn-forming portion indicated by the reference numeral 44, and the second part is the winding portion 45. The turn-forming portion 44 has sloping edges 46. The edges 47 of the winding portion are almost parallel and, in the direction of the free end of the winding element converge only to a minimal extent and just sufficiently to enable the thread windings 35 to be shifted to the left. The pin 41 serves for shifting the thread windings along the winding element 31.

In the side view seen in FIG. 3, the rotor 34 is shown schematically. It can be seen from this figure that in addition to the retaining member 37 there is provided, parallel therewith, a second retaining member 48. The two retaining members or retaining rods 37 and 48 are held at a certain distance apart by means of an insert 49. The rods are secured to the loom by the screw 51. The points at which the retaining members 37 and 48 bear upon the blade 31 are designated by the reference numerals 52 and 53, respectively.

When the loom is operating, the rotor 34 continuously lays turns of thread around the winding element. When the number of turns forms a winding of a prescribed length of thread, these turns are shifted as a whole to the left. For this purpose, the pin 41 is displaced in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the winding element from a position designated by the reference numeral 42 leftwards into the position in which it is shown in the drawing. It thereby shifts a thread winding 35 each time into its delivery position. While executing this movement, it extends through the slot 43 running along the element 31. For returning the pin 41 to its position 42, it is first moved out of the slot 43 and then moved to the right.

The forming of the thread 32 into turns around the element 31 takes place in the turn-forming portion 44. During this process, the threads slide off continuously and immediately along the inclined edges 6 while they are being formed into turns, and, at the boundary between the turn-forming portion 44 and the winding portion 45, they are fully applied to the winding element. The turns already present there are thereby pushed to the left along the winding portion 45.

During the continuous rotation of the rotor 34, which takes place in the direction of the arrow 54 shown in FIG. 3, and due to the continuous on-winding of the thread 32 onto the turn-forming portion 44, the winding element 31, rotatably mounted in the rotor 34, is likewise subjected to torque in the direction of the arrow 54. To prevent the winding element 31 from rotating at the same time, there is provided a retaining means which includes retaining member 48. It is important that the point 53 at which the retaining member 48 bears upon the winding element is located in the turn-forming portion 44, i.e. in the Zone located between the inclined edges 46. In such an arrangement, the thread easily slides or slips through between the retaining member 48 and the turn-forming portion 44. Furthermore, after sliding or slipping through, the thread is again subjected to the tensile force caused by the winding action, so that the thread is wound on to the winding portion 45 in a uniform manner. In this arrangement the slip-through also occurs in the phase in which the thread still exist as a separate turn and before a winding made up of contiguous turns is formed. In this manner, the windings are fully preserved from coming out of order when shifting along the winding element 31.

In order to pass a winding 35 to a shuttle 18, each of the shuttles, as can be seen from FIG. 2, is pushed downwards in the direction of the arrow 53 over the left-hand end of the portion 45 and over the winding 35 located at the delivery position on the winding element. After having been thus pushed down, each shuttle 18 is moved to the left and then taken over by the lamellae 19 (FIG. 1) and is moved through one of the sheds 17 which develops leftwards. The weft thread contained in the shuttle as a winding 35 is thereby woven in.

In the present embodiment, the shuttles 18 are shaped like mussel-shellsv Each shuttle consists principally of two-side walls which are interconnected over only part of the periphery. In FIG. 2, the connected part of the periphery is indicated by the reference numeral 55. In order to retain the winding 35 in the shuttle when the shuttle moves away to the left, the two side-walls of the shuttle are each provided with a suitable lining 54, e.g. a lining having a satin-like or bristled surface. The lower, unconnected peripheral portion of the shuttle which forms an open slot is pushed down over the winding position 45.

In a process whereby the s'hutle 18 is pushed over the winding element with the help of an open slot, it is important that the shuttle 18 should take up an accurately prescribed position relatively to the winding element so that the element moves accurately into the slot and is not struck by a side-wall of the shuttle 18 (since this would cause damage). Experience has shown that in some instances the winding element does not continuously remain stationary or still against the retaining member 48, although the torque previously referred to with reference to FIG. 3 acts only in the direction 54. Due to rotation of the rotor 34, the winding element 31 may be subject to oscillations. These oscillations can be the reason for the position of the winding element to some extent not being well defined, so that the shuttle 18 collides with the winding element when being pushed over it. In order to avoid such collision when such lack of precision in the position of the winding element 31 occurs, there is provided the second retaining means with a retaining rod or member 37. It will thus be seen that the retaining member 48 primarily adsorbs the torque applied by the thread winding to the winding element, which acts in the direction of the arrow 54, and that the combination of the two members 37 and 48 ensures accurate and well-defined positioning of the winding element. Advantageously, the distance between the points 52 and 53 of application of the retaining members 37 and 48 respectively is made greater, by one or a few thread-thicknesses, than the thickness of the winding element at the places where there two points 52 and 53 of application occur. The threads to be wound on are thereby still able to slip between the winding portion 44 and the retaining members 37 and 48, and the deviatrons of the winding element 31 from its nominal position are kept to a minimum.

The screw '50 serves for effecting the fine adjustment of the retaining members 37 and 48. As long as the screw 50 bears against the fixed machine part shown in FIG. 3, rotation of the screw causes horizontal displacement of the points of application 52 and 53 of the retaining members 37 and 48, respectively, while keeping the distance between them constant. In this way, the angular position of the winding element can be varied. The retaining elements 37 and 48 are preferably made of a relatively hard material. It has proved advantageous to manufacture the winding elements and the retaining members 37 and 48, at least in the area of the bearing points, of hardened steel, polished to a high degree of smoothness, or brillance In the embodiment of the device illustrated in FIG. 4, the rotor 34 is again only shown schematically. There is again provided a retaining means which includes retaining member 55 against which the winding element is pressed during the winding process at the bearing point 56, and is thus held in a prescribed angular position. Here, too, it is necessary, for the formation of good windings on the element 31, that the bearing point 56 should still be on the turn-forming portion 44.

To effect accurate positioning of the winding element 31 under all conditions, there is also supplied, in this embodiment, a second retaining means in the form of a retaining member 57 which, in this embodiment, is located on the same side of the winding element as the retaining member 55 and the point 58 of application of which lies opposite the bearing point 56. The set-screws 59 and 60 serve for accurately adjusting the retaining members 55 and 57 respectively. These retaining members 55 and 57 are alsosecured to the frame of the loom.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the rotor 34, shown schematically, rotates in the direction of the arrow 54. The retaining means includes a retaining member 61 that holds the winding element in a prescribed angular position. During the rotary movement of the rotor 34, the thread 32 slips between the end of the retaining member 61 and the winding element once during each revolution. The retaining member 61 is held by the screw 62, which is adjustable to various positions in its longitudinal direction. Again it is important that the bearing point 63 be located on the turn-forming portion 44 of the windin g element.

If it should prove necessary, a second retaining means which has a retaining member 64 can also be provided in this embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment its attachment means is similar to that of the retaining member 61. Both members 61 and 64 consist of round metal rods, the ends of which, directed towards the winding element are rounded 011. Both retaining elements 61 and 64 are carried on supports which are secured to the frame of the loom.

Again referring to FIG. 2, the position of the bearing point 52 shown therein is an advantageous one for locating the bearing points. The point 52 should be quite near to the point of transition to the winding portion 45 and also near to the upper edge 46. Under these conditions, the thread 32 can be laid in a more reliable manner on the turn-forming portion 44 before it' slips through under the retaining members 37 and 48, and on the other hand the thread 32 comes under normal tension again "before it is completely wound on to the winding portion 45.

While the novel features of the invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the appended claims, it is to be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in construction and arrangement of the features shown and described may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for producing thread windings of a predetermined length on a loom, said device comprising a winding element having a winding portion and a turnforming portion, rotor means for continuously winding turns of a thread around the turn-forming portion of said winding element, said winding element being rotatably mounted at an end adjacent to the turn-forming portion on said rotor means, and said turn-forming portion having a cross-sectional shape that diminishes towards the winding portion whereby turns of thread Wound on to said turn-forming portion will slip to the winding portion, means for successively displacing a predetermined number of turns of the thread in the form of a winding along the winding portion of said winding element, and at least one stationary retaining means for preventing rotation of said winding element due to the torque imparted to said winding element when thread is wound on to said turn-forming portion, said retaining means contacting said winding element at a bearing point located on the turnforming portion.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the winding element is held against rotation in two directions by two retaining means which contact the winding element at bearing points which are located in the turn-forming portion of the Winding element.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the winding element is blade-shaped and the bearing points of the two retaining means are each located on opposite sides of the winding element.

4. The device of claim 2 in which the winding element is blade-shaped and the bearing points of the two retaining means are located on the same side of the winding element.

5. The device of claim 2 in which the two retaining means each comprise members having a rigid construction and, at the places where the bearing points occur, gaps are provided between the winding element and the retaining members, the sum of which is at least equal to the diameter of the thread to be Wound about the winding element.

6. The device of claim 2 in which the two retaining means comprise two arms that are arranged parallel alongside each other and that have free ends and an insert located between said arms for maintaining the free ends a distance apart, said bearing points being located between said arms.

7. The device of claim 6 in which said Winding element is a flat blade-shaped element, said turn-forming portion has sloping side edges and the winding portion has side edges which slightly taper away from said turnforming portion, the bearings points of the two arms of said retaining means being located near one of the side edges of the turn-forming portion, and said retaining means further comprising means for adjusting the position of the arms in order to vary the angular position of the winding element while keeping the distance between the arms constant.

8. The device of claim 1 in which the retaining means comprises an arm that can he moved to various positions in order to vary the position of the bearing point at which the arm contacts the winding element and thus to vary the angular position of the winding element.

9. The device of claim 1 in which the winding element is blade-shaped and the bearing point upon which the retaining means contacts the winding element is located near one side edge of the turn-forming portion.

10. The device of claim 1 in which the retaining means is in the form of a rod, one end of which is secured to the loom and the other end of which forms the bearing point with the winding element and has a rounded shape.

11. The device of claim 1 in which the winding element and the retaining means consist of hardened steel at least in the region of the bearing point, the steel being polished to a high degree of smoothness.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,263,705 8/1966 Rossmann 139-12 3,411,548 11/1968 Pfarrwaller 139-122 HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 139-224 

